Championship 2013-14: the fans' half-term report | Football | The Guardian Championship 2013-14: the fans' half-term report The people who really know their clubs give us the lowdown on the Championship season so far Friday 20 December 2013 08.40 EST First published on Friday 20 December 2013 08.40 EST Barnsley Season in one word Afterclap. How's it going? Like a jigsaw you might find amongst a bric-a-brac sale, we were chuffed with our lot but find ourselves unsure if we have all the correct pieces we need. Having tied down many of the characters that helped us secure our Championship survival last term, we ambitiously felt that we had added few more quality players to our number. Sadly mid-table mediocrity is a distant dream. The campaign so far has been bewildering, but the board has acted and now in Danny we trust! Who's been the star?

Paddy McCourt – "The Derry Pele" might be regarded as a luxury at the moment, but he is the shining star who has brightened up many a dull afternoon or evening. Biggest disappointment? After his achievements last season, the board, the players and most of all the fans bought into "Flicker's Family" philosophy hook line and sinker. How this unravelled has hurt everybody. A well loved character, but an outcome that was a bitter disappointment. All we want for Christmas is … A brand-new terrace chant. No longer can we sing "Three Little Birds" – fortunately every little thing did turn out alright last season. And whilst "Walking in a Wilson Wonderland" and "Just Like Watching Brazil" will inevitably re-emerge, it's a new era, a new challenge and a massive scrap in 2014 for the Reds. Birmingham City Season in one word Apathetic. How's it going? It's about as good as we can expect. We've got no money; an owner on trial over alleged money laundering; and a team of kids, loanees, freebies and Nikola Zigic.

The miracle really is that we haven't gone into adminstration, that we've managed a few decent results and we might have unearthed a rough diamond or two. The problem is the fans have slowly given up; until we start winning home games attendances will continue to drop and people are too apathetic even to moan now. Who's been the star? Tom Adeyemi for me. Signed on a free, started a bit slowly but he looks like he's got a real engine on him, can get from box to box and scores a few. First-team football has done him wonders and I think come the end of the season he could be snapped up if we're still in the toilet financially. Biggest disappointment? Controversial choice, but I'm going to go with Gianni Paladini. Continously fed the local rumour mill about how he's going to buy the club, goes on radio to say he wants to do it but somehow mysteriously he can't close the deal – and he seems unwilling to do anything about this contract he apparently had to do it. All we want for Christmas is … The club sold to a new owner who can at least put a little bit of money in.

The club needs investment now and the longer the current situation drags on the worse it's going to get. Blackburn Rovers Season in one word Inconsistent. How's it going? Looking at the squad we reconstructed over the summer and the quite severe financial surgery that came with it, we are roughly in the spot on the league table I expected us to be occupying. Gary Bowyer has taken on a difficult job and so far he's been decent by my reckoning. But things are never easy on planet Venky's and for every good performance we've had (Bolton at Ewood in particular was superb), we've had to endure a pretty torrid one (say hello Charlton at home a few weeks later). The squad is younger and certainly more committed than the toothless shambles we had last season, but the overall financial picture at the club is bleaker than a rainy winter night. It's never dull, which I suppose is one thing. Who's been the star? The obvious answer is Jordan Rhodes. He's not often deployed in the role that suits him best, but his goal scoring record is excellent and as such he deserves the ultimate accolade.

Special hat tip to on loan Tom Cairney as well, very handy player with a quick pair of feet. Biggest disappointment? That Venky's haven't found a feasible way to clear off yet. We'll never truly move forward in a good way with them here, we'll at best tread water which is hardly desirable. Name a problem at Blackburn Rovers (take your pick, there's plenty) and it'll all trace back to an outback in Pune, India. All we want for Christmas is … Shebby Singh to decide that he's taking up a career with the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet. Or for that matter a successful attempt at any other non-sports related profession that guarantees he won't try and assume an important role at my football club ever again. Blackpool Season in one word Uninspiring How's it going? We started strongly and won five of the first six, despite leaving transfer activity late. However, performances were not so good and since then luck has evened itself out with our current momentum downward. We've been fairly hard to beat with a cautious defensive approach, but it has been at the expense of any attacking flair, meaning entertainment has been thin on the ground.

Discipline has been a huge problem too with eight red cards and a stadium ban for Paul Ince who got himself into trouble with officials. Who's been the star? Ricardo Fuller has been key. Despite his advancing years, his hold-up play has been crucial in a role where he is regularly isolated due to the defensive formation. His recent suspension has underlined his importance to the team, with none of the other many forwards able to do what Fuller does. Biggest disappointment? The style of play has been a major disappointment, having gone from the all-out attack ethos of Ian Holloway to a team that is happy to sit on a 0-0. Early season results allowed some leeway, but sliding form combined with negative football is not a good combination. All we want for Christmas is … The club has more than had its fill of cards (festive red ones in particular) so a new year's resolution to behave might be a good start. Throw in some willingness to allow more than two or three players to venture over the halfway line and most Seasiders would settle for that. Bolton Wanderers Season in one word Underwhelming. How's it going?

After the club's worst start to a season in 111 years, manager Dougie Freedman has gradually restored some of the solidity missing through a combination of shrewd loan signings and the excellent central-defensive partnership of Matt Mills and Tim Ream, two players made available for transfer in the summer. An eight game unbeaten run over autumn raised expectations of another push for the play-offs, but this has since been tempered by defeats in three of the last four games including a defeat to local rivals Wigan. Bolton need to address their lack of goals; the creativity of the returning Mark Davies and the now fully fit Brazilian Andre Moritz will be expected to unlock defences. Who's been the star? Mills and the on-loan Neil Danns and Kevin McNaughton have all made valuable contributions, but USA international Ream has finally found his feet after two difficult years in English football with a string of impressive performances. His composure and passing range gives the backline a calmness not seen since the departure of Gary Cahill. Biggest disappointment The growing realisation that we could be stuck in this league for a good few years, despite keeping many of our best players following relegation.

Although constrained by a smaller budget than the league's wealthy foreign-owned clubs, our cast of ex-Premier League players – think Chris Eagles, Lee Chung-yong, David Wheater and Zat Knight – have offered far less than some of the more modest names in the squad. All we want for Christmas is … Our manager to be more adventurous if we are to challenge for the play-offs. Now that we're looking better defensively, Dougie must cast aside some of his natural conservatism to produce a side that can consistently win matches and to win over his growing number of doubters. A lethal finisher, which Jermaine Beckford has threatened to be, could provide the much needed thrust. Anthony Lansdale Bournemouth Season in one word Seesaw How's it going? We got off to a good start at home as confidence from last season's promotion spilled over, but away from home we were shipping goals with startling frequency. Even now, at the halfway stage, we still don't know what sort of season we're in for. The festive fixtures could play a big part in that. If we don't win in the next four games, we're definitely in a serious relegation battle. But a couple of wins will really boost confidence.

Ultimately I suspect we'll just about have enough to stay up, but fans will hope for a bit better next season. Who's been the star? Steve Cook looks increasingly impressive at centre-back. Calm, strong, good on the ball – and only 22. The defence has still had its wobbles, but without him we'd be in a lot more trouble. A mention for tireless worker Lewis Grabban too. His goals and workrate have exceeded expectations. Biggest disappointment? Tokelo Rantie. Signed from Malmo for a club record fee, we had high hopes, but the South African international has struggled to adapt to the rigours of English football. That said, there are signs he's gradually getting there. He seems a good guy so we have everything crossed for him. All we want for Christmas is … Wins. Lots of them. We desperately want to stick around at this level and progress. We'll take any wins we can, even if that means the football's a bit uncultured at times. With Eddie Howe at the helm though, we're only ever going to keep it on the deck. In fairness, it's wonderful when it works. Brighton & Hove Albion Season in one word Improving.

How's it going? The rancorous departure of Gus Poyet at the end of last season seemed to take a serious toll. The Oscar Garcia era got off to a shaky start with three defeats in the opening three matches. Injuries to key attacking players left the team short on confidence and toothless in attack. Better results have come in recent weeks, although they have mainly been narrow wins, ground out thanks to a fine defensive platform. Other bright spots include the performances of young midfielders Rohan Ince and Jake Forster-Caskey and the recent form of loanee Craig Conway. Who's been the star? Matthew Upson. The former England centre half is the main reason our defence is among the most secure in the division. Since signing last year he has barely missed a minute of the 40 league matches he has played and in that time Brighton have conceded just 32 league goals. Biggest disappointment? Injuries have deprived the team of its three most influential players for most of the season so far. Midfield lynchpin Liam Bridcutt, creative hub Andrea Orlandi and striker Leonardo Ulloa are on their way back to fitness now and Brighton desperately need them to recapture their form from last season.

All we want for Christmas is … a return to fitness and form for key attackers Ulloa and Orlandi. The mercurial Ashley Barnes has had to lead the line recently, but has not provided the consistent goal threat that Ulloa offers. A return to fitness for Craig Mackail-Smith to share the goalscoring burden would also be welcomed. Andrew West Burnley Season in one word Expectations-smashing How's it going? Absolutely tremendously. To have 40 points on the board already is more than anyone could have dreamed of, especially as we sold Charlie Austin just before the season started. Sean Dyche has assembled a fantastically-drilled high-pressing machine with arguably the best strikeforce in the league without having two pennies to rub together. We've beaten QPR easily at home and drawn away at Leicester so have nothing to fear from anyone. Burnley – and Dyche – look like the real deal. Who's been the star? It's impossible to look beyond Danny Ings. The 21-year-old striker had six goals in two years before this season but has already scored 19 goals this time out if you count his England under-21 goals against San Marino. Which we do. Biggest disappointment?

Not taking the chance to bolster a paper-thin squad before the loan window shut was a shame and we were soon forced to name three teenagers on the bench for one game. But if everyone stays fit (touch wood), we'll be okay. A missed opportunity, perhaps. All we want for Christmas is … The desire and drive to be a professional footballer for Keith Treacy. The lad is arguably the most talented player on the books, but he's been stealing a wage for the last two and a half years at Burnley. He's out of contract in the summer and owes us a string of glorious matchwinning performances to fire us to promotion. That's asking a lot, though ... Charlton Athletic Season in one word Disappointing. How's it going? Charlton are entrenched in the lower reaches of the table, just one place above the drop zone. Chris Powell's team have struggled to score all season – they have yet to score more than two in a game – and coupled with the inability to keep clean sheets, the reason for their plight is obvious. Powell is a manager who likes to match the opposition's shape and this cautious ploy has contributed to a record of just two home wins.

The manager will be anxious for funds to be made available to strengthen his squad in January. Who's been the star? Jordan Cousins has grabbed his chance with both hands. The academy product has nailed down the central midfield berth next to Dale Stephens. Cousins' presence has allowed Stephens to operate further forward where he is most effective. The Addicks will have to fend off interest from bigger clubs in January. Biggest disappointment? The ongoing poor form at The Valley. It was late in the campaign last season before the Addicks strung a consistent run of results together. Charlton have managed just two wins at home thus far. One of those was the rearranged game against Doncaster, abandoned in August with Rovers leading 3-1. All we want for Christmas is ... A new broom. The club has been up for sale for some time, rumours have come and gone, with deals apparently falling through late in the day. The club needs freshening up from top to bottom and new enthusiastic owners are needed to sweep away the apathy. Derby County Season in one word Schteeeeve How's it going? At the time of writing, almost worryingly well.

At the time the removal of Mr Clough Jr felt harsh, but McClaren seems to have instilled a whole new mentality, involving goals aplenty, possession football (better pass completion than Barcelona for a couple of games apparently), and rapidly increasing expectations. Where flirting with the play-offs before settling for mid-table was the order of the day, all of a sudden we're hauling back the pacesetters. It's exciting times to be a Rams fan, probably for the first time since McClaren was there as coach under Jim Smith. Who's been the star? It's remarkable, at the age of 18, how much revolves around Will Hughes. But the less-heralded Craig Bryson has probably been even better, adding drive, ambition and regular goals to the midfield. Biggest disappointment? Defeats to local promotion rivals Forest and Leicester suggested under Clough that the top slots would be out of reach. McClaren has yet to face many of the top sides, so we'll see if that's really changed in time.

All we want for Christmas is … A 1-0 win at Huddersfield on Boxing Day, ideally with Igor Stimac popping up to conduct the crowd's singing, to confirm that this is exactly the same season as the 1995-96 promotion campaign. Failing that, beating Chelsea a couple of weeks later. David Hopkins Doncaster Rovers Season in one word Undulating How's it going? Such is the strength of the Championship and the way the competition is skewed by those being dropped in by parachute payments sitting anywhere above 21st can be seen as a good season. We've chalked up some impressive wins, but suffered the sort of frustrating defeats that often befall a team coming up a level, met with forwards who take more chances. Considering the injuries we've suffered, and the poor luck (having a 3-0 lead at Charlton wiped out by the rain), it's all going ok. Who's been the star? After arriving to a cacophony of apathy in the summer Paul Dickov has won me over. Shrewd signings, an interesting mix of tactics, measured statements, a touch of good humour, and he dresses immaculately too.

He's offering us scant material for the fanzine mind. Biggest disappointment? John Ryan's resignation as Chairman and the nature of it. After all he'd done for Rovers he should have gone out gloriously, but instead it ended in dirty boardroom laundry flapping from the Keepmoat flag-poles, and an attempt to use the fans as pawns in a Director popularity contest. All we want for Christmas is … A time machine and a bloody great stadium-sized umbrella. Then back we go to The Valley in late August, cover the pitch from the elements and secure the win we were on course for that would've kept up our early season momentum and belief. Huddersfield Town Season in one word Development How's it going? After surviving on the final day of last season, Town fans wanted to avoid finding ourselves in a similar situation this season. Not only do we seem to be on our way to achieving that goal, but we're also improved in all areas of the pitch. The permanent signing of James Vaughan was pivotal, but Jonathan Hogg and Adam Hammill have also added quality.

The heavy defeats of last season have stopped and we're playing the best football we've produced in a long time - Mark Robins deserves praise for the brilliant job he's done turning the club around in a relatively short space of time. Who's been the star? Hammill gets my vote. He disappointed on loan last season but has been superb since signing permanently. He's our most creative outlet by a mile and is constantly creating chances and causing the opposition problems with his crossing and ability on the ball. Biggest disappointment? Jonathan Stead and Martin Paterson. They arrived to offer much needed support to James Vaughan, but as yet neither has impressed. Vaughan is pivotal to any success we have, and if he got injured you'd struggle to find a Town fan who had faith in either to replace him. All we want for Christmas is … Vaughan to not only remain at the club, but remain fit. He's been linked with a few different teams, but if we're to maintain our progress we need to keep him until at least the summer. If he stays, we need to pray that his injury problems remain behind him. Scott Castle Ipswich Town Season in one word Better How's it going?

Pretty well overall, bearing in mind that a battle against relegation is all we've had to look forward to at this point in the season for the last few years. Town are solid but not particularly spectacular, which is what's required in the unremitting, relentless grind that is the Championship. The current standing of 10th, three points from the play-offs is an ideal position from which to launch a push for the top six in the second half of the campaign. I think the overall expectation was that this season would be one of consolidation in upper mid-table after last year's escape from the drop following Mick McCarthy's appointment, so making the top six would be a welcome bonus. Who's been the star? It's difficult to look past manager McCarthy. When he took over 13 months ago Town looked destined to drop into what's now League One for the first time since the 1950s. Having masterminded last season's survival bid, he spent the summer rebuilding the squad on a relative shoestring and the Blues have continued to move in the right direction. Biggest disappointment? Probably that McCarthy hasn't been given a bit more to spend by club owner Marcus Evans.

But given the levels of cash splashed out with no success under previous managers, you can empathise with his reticence and the club seems to be taking Financial Fair Play more seriously than one or two other sides in the division. However, most fans would feel Mick has done well enough to deserve the purse strings being relaxed a little. The addition of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake may suggest that that's already starting to happen. All we want for Christmas is … A hitman (or hitwoman) to take out the Football League's fixture computer for giving us trips to Doncaster on Boxing Day and then Bournemouth on the 29th. A decent haul of points from those two treks would also be quite nice. Beyond that, a couple of signings in January to augment the squad, not an overhaul, just building on the good work up to now. Leeds United Season in one word Encouraging How's it going? It's not often I get to feel optimistic as a Leeds United fan and while I fear this may be tempting fate, things have been going really well.

We head into this weekend's clash against Barnsley sixth in the table, which is much higher than any of us expected and there's a real air of optimism and together around Elland Road which hasn't existed for far too long. Who's been the star? Ross McCormack. He's scoring for fun at the minute and performing exceptionally well week in, week out. We've always known how talented he is, but the style of football we played under Neil Warnock didn't do him any favours and he spent far too much time on the wing. Played at centre forward with the ball on the deck, the results speak for themselves. Alex Mowatt also deserves a mention, another quality youngster from the Thorp Arch production line. Biggest disappointment? Sam Byram, but it's through no fault of his own. He was player of the season last time out by some distance and we were expecting big things from him this year. Unfortunately, injuries have held him back a lot but he's back in contention now so we'll hopefully see more of him in the second half of the season. All we want for Christmas is … Same as every other club I guess, more points. Aside from that, cheaper half-time beer perhaps?

I genuinely have nothing to complain about, which is an unusual position for any football fan to be in. Looking a little further ahead, the return of Max Gradel in January would be nice. Leicester City Season in one word Improved. How's it going? The Foxes have certainly bounced back from last season's heart-wrenching play-off defeat at Vicarage Road by winning twelve of their first seventeen league matches. Leicester came into December top of the Championship, but have since fallen out of the automatic promotion places having lost two of their last three league games. That being said, most Leicester fans would have taken third spot in the division at this stage if offered that at the beginning of this campaign. Leicester lead the Championship in shots and shots on target, but it would be nice to see more of those opportunities converted into goals. Who's been the star? Several players have made huge strides since last season, but special credit goes to Lloyd Dyer. The winger seems to improve each year, terrorising full-backs with his blistering pace, and has already netted seven times this season. Very much a Nigel Pearson type of player, Dyer is a favourite amongst Leicester supporters. Biggest disappointment?

Losing at home to Nottingham Forest – a result which not only gave one of our local rivals bragging rights, but also ended the Foxes' unbeaten record at the King Power Stadium this season. The recent Capital One Cup defeat to Manchester City was also disappointing, though perhaps not entirely unexpected. All we want for Christmas is … A good run of form. Leicester notoriously struggle towards the end of the calendar year, having won just three out of nineteen league matches in December over the last four seasons. Starting the new year in the automatic promotion places would certainly give Foxes fans a bit of festive cheer. Middlesbrough Season in one word Horrific How's it going? It's been disastrous. Tony Mowbray was given opportunity to rectify last season's spectacular collapse. Nothing changed. He was shipped out and Aitor Karanka has arrived from Spain. Any hope the fans had of a radical transformation and the prospect of tiki-taka football has quickly evaporated with only one win in five outings. Offensively we are a match for most teams with some enterprising football resulting in seome well crafted goals, but at the back it's the same old failings. In simplest of terms we cannot defend balls into the box.

We lack an organiser and an experienced general. Until this is addressed we will struggle. Who's been the star? This is easy. Albert Adomah. He's exciting to watch. He drives at players, takes them on, whips in tantalizing crosses and has chipped in so far with a very respectable goals haul for a winger. Without his contribution we'd be comfortably bottom three. With a bit more belief he could be a real star. Biggest disappointment? Conceding a goal so soon after equalising at Elland Road was hard to take, which resulted in us losing the game. We had been reduced to ten men after our keeper was sent off and did ever so well to score a wonderful counter-attacking goal, only for all that endeavour to be thrown away with more calamitous defending. All we want for Christmas is ... A new defence. Not too much to ask. Just four blokes from a local park who enjoy defending will suffice. A captain would be nice also. One who opens his mouth and dares to shout at his fellow professionals would be a start. We can be quite wasteful at times infront of goal so maybe a 70 goal a season striker aswell. Is that asking too much?

Millwall Season in one word Excrement How's it going? It's almost astonishing that we haven't found ourselves cemented in the relegation zone at this stage, but a solid run of form at home seems to have given us some security. Having said that, to believe that we aren't still in real danger would be akin to the kind of naivety that's been demonstrated on and off the pitch all season. Defensively, we've been appalling, and alarmingly this only appears to have been acknowledged by the manager in the last week despite being the case for months. Who's been the star? It's difficult to identify someone who's been consistently outstanding. More recently, however, Steve Morison has been excellent and is beginning to recapture the quality that secured him a move to the Premier League two and a half years ago. Biggest disappointment? Appointing Steve Lomas wasn't exactly the shrewdest decision that the club has ever made. The alarm bells now also appear to be ringing for many of those who were unperturbed by his lack of experience and pedigree in the summer. All we want for Christmas is... The ability to defend set pieces.

We seem to be continually gifting goals to the opposition in these situations, which puts real pressure on us to score prolifically in order to have a chance of winning games. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm confident that this will have changed come Boxing Day. Charlie Mahoney Nottingham Forest Season in one word Confrontational. How's it going? Forest are sat in amongst a pack of clubs chasing promotion which is a perfectly reasonable place to be and the second half of the season, when Davies' teams generally pick up momentum, should provide an exciting challenge for at least a play-off spot. However, the club's strategy of spending well beyond its means, the chairman's desire to make grand gestures about his ambitions and the manager's need to be continually busy in the "stellar" end of the transfer market all combine to make promotion a necessity, so tensions will bubble back to the surface if we look like missing out. Who's been the star?

The player behind most of Forest's best football is former academy graduate Andy Reid who has played himself back into the Republic of Ireland squad this season, but for me the exciting part has been the continued progress of young goalkeeper Karl Darlow and the way Jamal Lascelles has grasped the opportunity afforded him by numerous defensive injuries. Biggest disappointment? The inevitable circus created by manager Billy Davies has split many fans, some see him as the man to finally deliver promotion to the Premier League whilst others have had enough of his feuds, grudges and self-serving gamesmanship. Is it a price worth paying or a sullying of the club's name? All we want for Christmas is … All the King's horses and all the King's men to put Kelvin Wilson back together again! Apparently we also need to spend the GDP of a small nation on someone who can score goals. Steve Wright Mist Rolling In From The Trent Queens Park Rangers Season in one word Auspicious! (or as the man said after he jumped off the roof of a building: "So far so good.") How's it going? QPR ended last season discombobulated and demoralized; with a slew of over-paid and under-performing players not wanted and wanting.

There were serious doubt whether Manager Harry Redknapp would start the new season still in charge at QPR. Emulating Wolves' successive relegations, seemed a perfectly realistic scenario. But of course Redknapp stayed; QPR are currently top; and while we're not scoring many goals (and most of those are coming from Charlie Austin), our defense has been amazing - establishing a QPR record by not conceding a goal for eight consecutive games. As is often the case at this club, news about QPR has not been restricted to on-the-field. The latest has been the massive, just-announced plans for a new QPR stadium a couple of miles away, and the demolition of Loftus Road (Sob!) Who's been the star? There have been several stars rather than just one: Robert Green, Charlie Austin, Richard Dunne, Clint Hill, and even – much as I despise him – Joey Barton. A special place has to be given for manager Harry Redknapp. And of course, Chairman Tony – "TONY" – Fernandes as always. Biggest disappointment?

There really hasn't been a "biggest disappointment" (other than QPR's failure to win every match by several goals.) On the margins, Adel Taarabt's failure to develop into the QPR player he could have become and Shaun Derry's departure, were mild disappointments. Coach Steve "We hardly knew you" McClaren's departure was perhaps more serious. McClaren did great things in his short time at the club. More long-term, the perennial (decade-long) failure of "home growns" to win places in the QPR first team, continues to disappoint. All we want for Christmas is ... Besides Chelsea FC being cast into the nethermost abysses of the Non Leagues and Stamford Bridge getting ploughed under? I appreciate this goes beyond even a Christmas miracle, but I pine for a return to the days of QPR as a small, well-run club, punching-above-our-weight, playing attractive, attacking football and universally-admired as everyone's Second Team. Reading Season in one word Functional How's it going? Despite last year's dismal Premier League campaign, we came into the season with high hopes that the recently appointed Nigel Adkins could help us win promotion in style.

Sadly a horrific injury list and Adkins' tinkerman style of management has stifled any chances we might have had at getting into a proper groove. While Nigel deserves credit for keeping us in play-off contention, he's not yet fully won over some fans who were hoping for a bit more than a string of scrappy wins. Still, points win you prizes in this division and given our previous history at storming second-half runs, there are reasons for optimism. Who's been the star? Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who's demonstrated just why Roy Hodgson picked him for the England squad last summer. McCarthy has put in a string of fine performances that have enabled us to pick up wins despite creating precious little in front of a goal. I just hope we can keep hold of him until the summer. Biggest disappointment? Probably former Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe. To be fair to him he's been injured for a couple of months but you'd still have hoped for a little more from a man who was signed for a eight-figure transfer fee just a few seasons ago. All we want for Christmas is … A new magic sponge.

We've got a promotion calibre squad but with half of them are injured so there's been no chance to build a team. Getting the likes of Jason Roberts, Mikele Leigertwood, Wayne Bridge, Jem Karacan and Sean Morrison back fit would be very handy. Sheffield Wednesday Season in one word Disenchanted How's it going? As D:Ream once sang "Things can only get better". Moments of brilliance, like the 5-2 victory over Reading and the 2-1 victory over table toppers Leicester, have been too few and far between. All good teams build from the back, but with only one clean sheet in 20, the writing is on the wall that we're just not good enough, despite our quality on paper. The departure of Dave Jones at the start of December wasn't met with any real surprise and hopefully under the tutelage of Stuart Gray, things will improve. Who's been the star? Slim pickings, but come the end of the season we'll hopefully look back and see Connor Wickham's return on loan as the catalyst for the Owl's change in form.

Five goals in seven appearances isn't too shoddy when you're playing for a team lurking at the foot of the Championship. Biggest disappointment? The opening day defeat to QPR was quite the reality check. Nuhiu's opener had us all dreaming for a second, but much like a precursor for the first half of the season, two QPR goals in three minutes and a blatant penalty shout which was turned down set the bitter tone for the rest of the season. All we want for Christmas is … Dare I say a new chairman? For all the good he did at the start, Milan Mandaric has obviously lost interest in the club. Signalled by his lack of desire to invest in any real money into the club, maybe now is the time for Mr Mandaric to do his usual trick and sell up after a few years of owning a club. Watford Season in one word Turbulent. (Isn't it always?) How's it going? It all started so well. Goals were flying in all over the place (we beat Bournemouth 6-1 and Barnsley 5-1) and we were seemingly making a mockery of the post play-off hangover theories.

Goals have continued to be bountiful in Watford fixtures, but recently, they have almost exclusively been scored by the opposition. Gifting Sheffield Wednesday an early Christmas present, their first away win and first clean sheet of the season proved to be too much for the head coach, and the Zolacoaster came to a shuddering halt. The loss to the Owls was the fifth home defeat in a row and the fourth consecutive game without a Watford goal, so whilst Zola's resignation was disappointing, it was far from a shock to most. The new head coach, Giuseppe Sannino, has plenty of work to do if he is going to turn this season round. Who's been the star? The Pozzo Family (Watford's owners) promised supporters that if attendances hit a certain level, they would tear down the redundant, unusable relic of an East Stand and replace it with a shiny new structure. No sooner had Vicarage Road crowds averaged at the magic number, the bulldozers moved in and work began. After numerous false dawns and aborted projects, owners delivering on this particular promise is genuine cause for celebration.

Gianfranco Zola handled his resignation with typical class, and his heartfelt open letter to supporters ensured he will be remembered for last year's fun instead of this year's funk. Biggest disappointment? Since work finally began on the East Stand, our form has evaporated. One can only assume we've disturbed some sort of ancient burial ground, or activated a curse placed on us by L*t*n fans. This is obvious as concerning as it is disappointing. The biggest let-down however, is that we haven't been able to push on from last year, and that after such excitement and promise, we're now going backwards. It all feels a bit 'so near yet so far' at the moment. All we want for Christmas is … Initially, we'd love to unwrap some sparkling, fresh linen. That's right Santa, clean sheets are top of our list. If we can stop leaking goals, confidence will grow and build, and that's when the talent in this squad should start to shine through. If we may be so bold as to add another thing to our list (we've been good boys and girls, we promise) could we ask that the new manager is a success?

He's filling some big shoes (metaphorically at least) and is up against it. If Father Christmas could ensure that his appointment proves to be another Pozzo masterstroke, I'll happily withdraw my request for a PlayStation 4. Wigan Athletic Season in one word Chaotic. How's it going? With as many matches as a (good) dating agency, the first half of the season has been thrillingly exhausting. Championship contests are closer and far more intense than the Premier League, and that eventful European 'sideshow' truly is a dream fulfilled. Adjustments for a new squad, manager (err, the first one) and style of football have resulted (re-Zulte-d?) in a slightly below average campaign thus far, but we've had eight years of dizzying highs to prepare ourselves for the odd bottle of curdled yoghurt. Phone me back when the novelty of the Uwe Rösler Effect has worn off. As for when that will be, I am not sure. Who's been the star? After graduating from Wigan's youth academy, the individual colloquially known as MT Seat has allegedly been sighted at certain Premier League clubs.

With the departure of Owen 'Shortsman' Coyle, I have also noticed that fans have a newfound appreciation for Roberto Martinez, who "doesn't seem so bad now". Or, Leon Barnett. Biggest disappointment? I could cite the blatantly amateurish quality of Football League officiating but I don't want to appear bitter, and anyway it was to be expected. Instead I shall plump for the untimely and ruthless removal of Jean Beausejour's iconic beard. Well, I liked it. All we want for Christmas is … To ask for anything more in the year of an unthinkable FA Cup victory would be cupidinous. Just hearing Little Wigan's name mentioned in the national media, even by the statistical 'play-by-play' pundits, remains highly flattering. I do know what I don't want for Christmas, however, and that's carbonated soft drinks and doughnuts. Yeovil Town Season in one word Pioneering How's it going? We are getting there. At the time of writing the Glovers have gone four games unbeaten and have started to show they do have the kind of cutting edge required to survive.

The start of the season was a hard-luck story, with a succession of narrow losses punctuated by some truly rancid refereeing decisions. Good performances were not rewarded with points and perhaps the players felt sorry for themselves. But the recent introductions of loanees like Ishmael Miller (Nottingham Forest), John Lundstram and Shane Duffy (both Everton) has given us quality in key areas, while the permanent signing of Adam Morgan from Liverpool is promising for the future. Just hope he does better then Michael Ngoo. Who's been the star? Ed Upson has carried on where he left off last season, but the real bonus for me has been the form of centre-back Byron Webster. He has really risen to the occasion with a series of towering performances at the back, despite his partner in defence changing regularly. Webster has weighed in with four goals as well, including a chip and suitably-provocative celebration that Eric Cantona would have been proud of against Birmingham. Some at Huish Park are dubbing him the new Terry Skiverton, but let's not get carried away. Biggest disappointment? The fall-out between manager Gary Johnson and last season's top scorer Paddy Madden.

Things between them never recovered after Madden was substituted at half-time on the opening day at Millwall, and the Irishman was transfer listed last month having failed to find the net in 10 games this season. I expect him to leave in the new year. All we want for Christmas is … Gary and Paddy to get themselves underneath the mistletoe at the Christmas party and make up. Jon Lewis

Question: At the beginning of the 2013-14 season, which former international player is manager of Championship team Blackpool FC?
Answer: Paul Ince